Welcome to Doorways

We are a non-profit organization and we are passionate about creating positive impact via entrepreneurship education and empowering people.

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What We Do

We promote entrepreneurship education by developing, implementing, and evaluating interventions and training programs that foster entrepreneurial thinking and behavior. In our training programs, we use evidence-based training contents and apply action-oriented training approaches.

Our Training Programs

In addition to developing new training programs, we are certified providers of the Personal Initiative (PI) Training and the STEP Training.

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PI Training

Personal Initiative (PI) Training is a psychological program mainly targeted at entrepreneurs. It has been developed within the Frese Group and been implemented in the context of several internationally funded research projects in Africa, Asia, Latin America, and the Caribbean. Research indicated that it can be more effective than traditional business training programs.

STEP Training

STEP (Student Training for Entrepreneurial Promotion) is an entrepreneurship training program targeted particularly at young adults with limited or no entrepreneurial experience. It was founded by the Frese Group in 2008 and has since been implemented in partnership with more than two dozen institutions in low- and middle-income countries around the world. Research shows that it is highly effective in increasing the likelihood of successful business start-up.

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Examplary Projects

See some examples of our work

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India: PI Training for Rural Entrepreneurs in Tamil Nadu

Together with The World Bank’s South Asia Region Gender Innovation Lab (SAR GIL) and the local implementation partner Hand In Hand India we are conducting a randomized controlled trial (RCT) impact evaluation study to investigate the effect of the Personal Initiative (PI) Training among small-scale entrepreneurs. The RCT is embedded within the aims of the World Bank operation Vazhndhu Kattuvom / Tamil Nadu Rural Transformation Project (TNRTP). The TNRTP project aims at rural transformation through strategies that focus beyond poverty alleviation by building sustainability and prosperity of rural communities through enterprise promotion, access to finance and employment opportunities.

Lesotho: PI Training for Small-Scale Entrepreneurs

The Pathways to Sustainable Livelihoods Project in Lesotho aims to enhance the economic stability of poor and vulnerable households in the country by providing them with the tools and training needed to improve their economic resilience. For the (soft-skills) training component of the project, we collaborate with the Catholic Relief Services (CRS) Lesotho, the Ministry of Gender, Youth, and Social Development, and the World Bank. Our key tasks include the adjustment of the Personal Initiative (PI) Training curriculum to also address Gender-Based Violence (GBV) and the implementation of Training-of-Trainer workshops (ToTs) for at least 50 prospective trainers in the Berea and Mohale’s Hoek regions. These trainers then deliver the PI Training to 2,500 beneficiaries in the first year and another 2,500 in the second year. We furthermore monitor the implementation to ensure sustainable progress.

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Mozambique: PI Training for Female Farmers

Under the auspices of a World Bank project led by the Trade and Competitiveness Global Practice, the World Bank’s Africa Gender Innovation Lab (GIL) conducted a randomized controlled trial (RCT) study to measure the impact of a training intervention targeted to a sample of 2,000 poor female farmers across 100 communities (20 women per community) in Tete province, Mozambique. The intervention provided all women in the sample with training on agronomy and basic business techniques (“hard-skills”). Half of the sample also received personal initiative training on non-cognitive skills to help women farmers stay motivated and overcome the psychological challenges associated with starting and running a cash crop business (“soft-skills”).

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Our Team

Want to know more about the minds and hearts behind the non-profit organization Doorways? Meet our team and learn more about our vision, mission, and values.